Q: Can software directly access the SIM?

I'd like to know if the GSM chip accesses the SIM directly or whether it goes through the OS? If it is possible I would like (and may develop) software to download SIM data into memory so that multiple SIMs can be stored and networks jumped by software rather than by physically changing SIM. Reasons:

- To use cheaper services, say one prepaid network has cheap calls and another has cheap SMS, configure phone to skip to cheap network to send SMS.

- To have software periodically check several SMS, voicemail services or numbers from one device.

- While travelling, it'd be nice to be able to email SIM files around, say to let a co-worker assume a company number when replacing you at an overseas post or to leave your unused prepaid credit to a friend at the end of your vacation.

- Partial coverage. Travelling rural South Africa, areas are sometimes covered better by one or other carrier, it'd be a pain to switch SIMs every few km, but could be done automatically.

Q: Can the Neo charge and use devices on a USB hub at the same time?

Regarding "Can the Neo charge and use devices on a USB hub at the same time?", what problem needs solving if the Neo can access other devices on the hub while connected downstream? I assume that the 2nd sentence of the 1st paragraph is in fact incorrect and "It will also be able to" should be "It will NOT be able to"? Could someone please clarify?
jasonwea 2007-02-18 11:48 UTC

As I understand it.

It's entirely a cabling problem.
The neo essentially has two ports in one - there is the mini-AB port, which is missing the 5V line, and the 5V charging line.

When used as a peripheral, the 5V line is used to charge the battery.
It is not otherwise used in the neo.

To connect a hub, it needs to be a powered hub, that is capable of working without 5V input (the Belkin Tetrahub for example will not recognise a host without it).

To charge at the same time, you need to make up a special cable, that plugs into the output of a powered hub - to pick up the charge current, and into the input of a powered hub at the same time - to act as a USB host.
These cables are wired together for 5V and 0V, but only the input cable has the data pins wired.
In some cases (the belkin hub mentioned above) this will also allow the hub to recognise the neo as a host, when it would not before.
In other cases - where the hub keeps the outputs unpowered until it senses a host, an external source of 5V would need to be plugged into the 'output' cable.
Speedevil 2007-02-18 13:30 UTC

other hardware

I just stumbled upon the HTC Advantage X7500.
How likely one could have that device run openmoko even though there it's a windows mobile? --Minime 19:13, 10 April 2007 (CEST)

voice over ip

what about voice over ip?
is the cpu strong enough for skype?/is there a skype(or similar) client that runs on that kind of cpu? :)

VOIP over GPRS basically doesn't work - the latency is too high.

There isn't a skype client for the CPU.

The answer: the CPU should be strong enough esp with the new CPU that they will implement in June, according to the plans. My answer is based on a theorem: The Nokia 880 has got skype on it and I don't think it is that much stronger if it as at all, than Openmoko with it's 200MHz. That should be sufficient. GPRS is too slow for that I believe but if you are home, you could connect to your WiFi and use SkyPe that is awesome. (^_^)

Which is irrelevant, as there is no skype client for the CPU. You cannot compile your own skype client, only skype can. --Speedevil 19:22, 23 May 2007 (CEST)

We could compile OpenWengo for the Neo1971, although gprs would still be a problem. Wifi or possibly bluetooth would be OK. --Sagacis 00:21, 31 August 2007 (CEST)

FreeRunner released

A lot of this FAQ is written from a point of view in which FreeRunner is not released. It is not the case any more. KSiimson 13:44, 25 July 2008 (UTC)

Q: Whats OpenEmbedded, BitBake, Openmoko(OS), opkg/ipkg

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Q: Can software directly access the SIM?

I'd like to know if the GSM chip accesses the SIM directly or whether it goes through the OS? If it is possible I would like (and may develop) software to download SIM data into memory so that multiple SIMs can be stored and networks jumped by software rather than by physically changing SIM. Reasons:

- To use cheaper services, say one prepaid network has cheap calls and another has cheap SMS, configure phone to skip to cheap network to send SMS.

- To have software periodically check several SMS, voicemail services or numbers from one device.

- While travelling, it'd be nice to be able to email SIM files around, say to let a co-worker assume a company number when replacing you at an overseas post or to leave your unused prepaid credit to a friend at the end of your vacation.

- Partial coverage. Travelling rural South Africa, areas are sometimes covered better by one or other carrier, it'd be a pain to switch SIMs every few km, but could be done automatically.

Q: Can the Neo charge and use devices on a USB hub at the same time?

Regarding "Can the Neo charge and use devices on a USB hub at the same time?", what problem needs solving if the Neo can access other devices on the hub while connected downstream? I assume that the 2nd sentence of the 1st paragraph is in fact incorrect and "It will also be able to" should be "It will NOT be able to"? Could someone please clarify?
jasonwea 2007-02-18 11:48 UTC

As I understand it.

It's entirely a cabling problem.
The neo essentially has two ports in one - there is the mini-AB port, which is missing the 5V line, and the 5V charging line.

When used as a peripheral, the 5V line is used to charge the battery.
It is not otherwise used in the neo.

To connect a hub, it needs to be a powered hub, that is capable of working without 5V input (the Belkin Tetrahub for example will not recognise a host without it).

To charge at the same time, you need to make up a special cable, that plugs into the output of a powered hub - to pick up the charge current, and into the input of a powered hub at the same time - to act as a USB host.
These cables are wired together for 5V and 0V, but only the input cable has the data pins wired.
In some cases (the belkin hub mentioned above) this will also allow the hub to recognise the neo as a host, when it would not before.
In other cases - where the hub keeps the outputs unpowered until it senses a host, an external source of 5V would need to be plugged into the 'output' cable.
Speedevil 2007-02-18 13:30 UTC

other hardware

I just stumbled upon the HTC Advantage X7500.
How likely one could have that device run openmoko even though there it's a windows mobile? --Minime 19:13, 10 April 2007 (CEST)

voice over ip

what about voice over ip?
is the cpu strong enough for skype?/is there a skype(or similar) client that runs on that kind of cpu? :)

VOIP over GPRS basically doesn't work - the latency is too high.

There isn't a skype client for the CPU.

The answer: the CPU should be strong enough esp with the new CPU that they will implement in June, according to the plans. My answer is based on a theorem: The Nokia 880 has got skype on it and I don't think it is that much stronger if it as at all, than Openmoko with it's 200MHz. That should be sufficient. GPRS is too slow for that I believe but if you are home, you could connect to your WiFi and use SkyPe that is awesome. (^_^)

Which is irrelevant, as there is no skype client for the CPU. You cannot compile your own skype client, only skype can. --Speedevil 19:22, 23 May 2007 (CEST)

We could compile OpenWengo for the Neo1971, although gprs would still be a problem. Wifi or possibly bluetooth would be OK. --Sagacis 00:21, 31 August 2007 (CEST)

FreeRunner released

A lot of this FAQ is written from a point of view in which FreeRunner is not released. It is not the case any more. KSiimson 13:44, 25 July 2008 (UTC)